Laundry Hamper For Insertion Into Clothes Washers And Dryers

ABSTRACT

One embodiment of a hamper for the insertion into conventional consumer and commercial clothing washers and dryers. The article is cylindrical shaped article to fit inside typical front load and top load commercial or consumer clothing washer and dryer. This embodiment of our hamper has cut out transport handles  2  in the side of the cylinder and handles in the top lip of the cylinder  3 . In addition, the base  6  and cylinder sides contain the apertures  1  for liquid drainage during the washing cycle and ventilation during the drying cycle. The cylinder sides may contain recessed baffles  5  along the cylinder walls to fit over the baffles of existing front load washer and dryers or concavities originating in the base to fit over agitators of top load washers.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of Invention

This invention relates to laundry hampers and laundry baskets in theconventional consumer and commercial laundry process.

2. Prior Art

Although the sequence may vary, the laundry process typically beginswith a clothing owner removing soiled clothing and placing the clothingin a laundry hamper. Hampers are generally used for the temporarystorage of clothing during the common consumer and commercial laundrycycle. When the laundry is desired to be cleaned, or when the hampersare full, the soiled clothes are transferred to another hamper orcarrying device, typically a laundry basket, so that the soiled clothingcan be transported to the vicinity of the laundry washer and dryer.

Subsequently the clothing is sorted and combined with other soiledclothes that require similar washing and drying processes. Some userssort the soiled clothing by general categories such as light and darkclothing. Other users sort by specific colors such as whites, blues,reds, yellows etc. Other users sort by type of clothing such asdelicates, or exercise clothing, or gardening clothes.

After the desired sorting, clothes are removed from the basket andinserted into the washing machine until the washing machine drum is fulland then the wash cycle is started. After the wash cycle is complete,the damp clothing is manually pulled in a serial fashion from the washerand then inserted into the dryer and the drying cycle is started. Whenthe drying cycle is complete, clean clothes are manually pulled from thedryer, typically in serial fashion and placed into some temporarystorage bin or a laundry basket. Finally, clean clothing is typicallyregrouped according the clothing owner, placed into a laundry basket orbin, and transported back to the location where the owner dresses.

Laundry containers are commonly in forms of either “hampers” or“baskets”. Hampers are used for the temporary storage of dirty clothesand often are designed to be stationary. Baskets are usually designedfor the temporary transport of clothing throughout the laundry process.There are many types of laundry containers known in the art:

U.S. Pat. D274662 to Fausel discloses a stationary hamper for thetemporary storage of soiled clothing. This type of hamper is typicallydesigned as a piece of furniture where the primary benefit is thetemporarily store the soiled clothing in a stylish bin. The obviousshortcoming to this type of hamper is that it does not help the usertransport, sort, transfer, or group the clothing during the laundryprocess.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,625,973 by Weldom and Levitt in 1951 discloses a hamperdesigned where the hamper is constructed with multiple segments. Weldonand Levitt's design is to facilitate the prewash sorting of the laundryby the clothing owner or the commercial enterprise. Although thisinvention solved the sorting problem, it is constructed as a moretraditional hamper and is not designed for transport. U.S. Pat. No.5,833,336 to Dean is a clothes hamper apparatus having removableinterior partitions and removable mesh clothing bags which are heldwithin the hamper by system of Velcro and tracks. This design focuses onthe sorted temporary storage of the soiled clothing and the moreconfigurable compartments within the hamper wherein the number and sizeof the formed compartments can be varied.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,102,208 describes a clothes container having twoexternal clothes bags to augment the capacity of the container and aidin the selective sorting of clothes prior to placement in a washingmachine. U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,924 to Jones describes a clothing sorteradapted for the user with a standard clothes hamper. These designs focuson the prewash sorting of clothing by items that require similar washingand drying characteristics. Each design requires the laundry to bemanually pulled from the hamper. In addition, these designs do notfacilitate the transport of soiled clothing to the laundry vicinity nordo they aid in the transfer of clothing from the washer to the dryer,nor do they aid in the post-wash grouping of clothing by owner.

U.S. Pat. D533327 to McCaskill discloses an apparatus for sorting andtransporting clothing garments. Although this device contains dividersto group clothing, and its base mounted wheels facilitate clothingtransport, its rectangular shape and externally facing handles make itunsuitable for insertion into a washer or dryer and is unsuitable forparticipation in the cleaning aspects of the laundry process. As aresult this design does not aid in the insertion, removal, or transferprocess during the laundry cycle.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,253,775 to Gould discloses a combined hamper and laundrybag for separating and maintaining small items from large items prior toand throughout the laundry cycle. Although this device is designed tokeep smaller items, such as the “free wheeling sock” separated from thebigger items, it only solved the problem of small items being lost inthe bottom of the washer or dryer or separated from the owner's otherclothes. This design did not aid in the prewash sorting of the largerlaundry items nor does it aid in the transport of the clothing duringthe broader laundry cycle, nor the post wash grouping.

U.S. Pat. No. 7,090,092 Roebuck and Roebuck describes a hamper where thebottom panel moves vertically as additional clothes are inserted orremoved thereby keeping the general level of clothing adjacent to theopening of the hamper so that the user need not bend over to removeclothes from the bottom of the hamper. Although this invention aids inthe transfer of clothing from the hamper to another device fortransportation to the washer and dryer, it does not aid in the transferprocess from the washer to the dryer nor does it aid in the postcleaning grouping process.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,168,271 to Deschenes describes a mechanism where theclothing container bag can be raised and lowered to meet variousrequirement. The invention described above is supported by telescopinglegs above four wheels. This device facilitates the temporary storage,and removal of clothing from the hamper and the transport, but it doesnot aid in the pre-wash sorting nor the transfer of clothing during thewashing and drying process, nor the grouping of clothing after thewashing and drying process.

U.S. D409806 to Rubbermaid is an ornamental design in an ellipticallyshaped cylinder containing relatively small openings in two sidespresumably for ventilation and ornamentation. This design does notcontain the shape for insertion into a conventional cylindrical washeror dryer drum. Similarly, U.S. Pat. D376452 to Rubbermaid describes anornamental design for a laundry basket where the top peripheral rim ofthe handle curls away from the center of the basket. This design is notdesirable for the insertion into the washing and drying drum andtherefore does not aid in the transfer of clothing to the washer anddryer.

U.S. Pat. D327560 to Hradisky at Rubbermaid describes a rigidlystructured laundry basket for grouping of the clothing prior to beingwashed. U.S. Pat. D421323 to Douglas and Mandell at Rubbermaid shows anornamental design for a laundry hamper whose design is more associatedwith typical cylindrical shaped laundry basket. U.S. Pat. D302067 toYoshikawa shows an ornamental design for a basket with handles raisedabove the top rim and apparent ventilation squares on the sides. Whilethese designs focus on the temporary storage of clothes and aid in thetransport of the clothing to and from the washing vicinity, they do notparticipate in the washing and drying process nor aid in the transfer ofclothing directly from the washer to the dryer.

There are many disadvantages and unnecessary steps associated with theexisting art:

-   -   (a) Many users have hampers that are not suitable for transport.        These hamper have characteristics more similar to furniture than        to transportable bins or baskets. As a result users are required        to manually pull the clothing from the hamper and place it into        a bin for the initial transport to the laundry area.    -   (b) Once in the laundry area, the clothing must be serially        lifted or dumped in a batch from the basket or hamper into the        clothes washer.    -   (c) The clothing is required to be manually pulled from the        washer and inserted into the dryer. For top load machines, this        requires the user to repeatedly, and often uncomfortably, reach        into the bottom of the washer tub in a serial fashion to remove        the washed clothing and insert it in the dryer. If the dryer is        adjacent to the washer, the user can serially insert the        clothing into the dryer as it is removed from the washer. If the        dryer is not adjacent to the washer, the clean clothing must be        put in another temporary storage container, commonly a laundry        bin or basket, before being moved in batch to dryer.    -   (d) With the drying cycle complete, the laundry is required to        be manually pulled from the dryer and again placed back into a        bin for transportation back to the location where the clothing        owner typically dresses.    -   (e) Often, a single hamper is usesd for all types of soiled        clothing and is also used by many clothing owners. As a result,        users must sort the clothing according to the laundry process        prior to washing and drying, and then regroup by owner at the        end of the process.    -   (f) When clothing is removed from the washer and the dryer,        small garments such as socks and mistakenly washed pocket items,        such as money, are inadvertently left in the bottom of the        washer or dryer drum and mixed with other laundry loads. As a        result, those items become separated from their matching        clothing, such as matching socks, or they become separated from        the owner's clothes and are much more difficult to regroup by        owner at the end of the laundry cycle.    -   (g) As clean clothing is manually transferred from the washer to        the dryer or manually transferred from the dryer to a laundry        container, items frequently fall on the floor or between the        washer and dryer and therefore need to be rewashed or brushed        off.    -   (h) The existing art requires the user to have an unnecessary        amount of laundry baskets to accommodate the temporary storage        and transport needs. Not only are these additional baskets an        unnecessary expense for the user, they also occupy a material        amount of space when they are not being used.

SUMMARY

Thus, the need remains for a clothes hamper that keeps the clothessorted by washing and drying requirement, facilitates the transport toand from the cleaning area, aids in the transfer of clothing from washerto dryer, facilitates the transport of said clothing back to owner'sdressing area, and keeps clothing and objects grouped by owner.

In accordance with one embodiment, a laundry hamper for insertion into aclothes washer or dryer comprises an open-ended cylinder with formfitted cavities to match the washer and dryer drum and apertures forliquid drainage and air ventilation.

DRAWINGS Figures

Drawings of the same embodiment have the same number but differentalphabetic suffixes.

FIG. 1A and its corresponding suffixes are the perspective views of oneembodiment for front load washer or dryer according to the concepts ofthe present invention.

FIG. 1B is a sectional perspective taken along the base of theembodiment.

FIG. 1C is sectional detail view of the top lip and handle of the bin.

FIG. 2A and its corresponding suffixes are perspective views of oneembodiment for a typical top load washer or dryer according to theconcepts of the present embodiment.

FIG. 2B is a sectional view taken substantially from the base of theembodiment.

FIG. 2C is a perspective view taken substantially from the base of theembodiment.

DRAWINGS Reference Numerals

-   -   1 ventilation and drainage apertures    -   2 cut out handle    -   3 upper rim    -   4 agitator    -   5 baffle    -   6 base    -   7 side walls    -   8 capacity indicator    -   9 open top    -   10 internally facing handle    -   11 description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C—Preferred Embodiment

One embodiment of a hamper is illustrated in FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B, and FIG.1C. The hamper is composed of a heat-resistant and cleaningagent-resistant substance. The hamper has a hollow cylindrical shapewith closed bottom 6 and an open top 9, cylindrical side walls 7, abottom 6, and a plurality of apertures 1 for the ventilation of air andthe drainage of liquids. The side walls 7 contain a capacity indicator 8which indicates when the hamper has reached its maximum capacity toeffectively launder clothing. The side walls 7 contain cut out handles 2which allow a user to easily grab and transport the hamper. The interiorof the cylinder conforms to the shape of a clothing washer or dryer. Thecylinder may contain baffles 5 as is common in dryers and front loadwashers. An upper rim 3 has an internally facing handle 10. The inwardhandle 10 comprises an internally running lip along the circumference ofthe top. The lip is joined by a downwardly running ridge. The downwardlyrunning ridge increases the user's grip. The exposed corners are beveledor rounded to prevent snagging or personal injury. Each hamper containsa type indication 11 describing the clothing type, based on washing anddrying preferences that should be inserted in the hamper.

Operation FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C

In this embodiment of our hamper, the user places soiled clothing in thetop 9 of one or more hampers. Each hamper is identified by clothing type11 which allows the user to sort the clothing by the user's cleaningpreferences. Users may combine their fabrics and colors into one load,or the users may separate their clothing into a plurality of hampersbased on shading such as light and dark, colors such as a white load,blue load, red load, yellow load etc, or by cleaning styles such asdelicate or permanent press. In the most common example, where the userlaunders the clothing based on general light and dark colors, eachclothing owner has two hampers: one hamper has indication of “light” andthe second hamper has an indication of “dark”.

When the amount of clothing reaches the fill line 8 or when the userdesires to clean the soiled clothing, the user transports the hamper tothe washing machine by using the side cutout handles 2. By using theinternally facing top handle 10, the user inserts the hamper into theclothes washer by ensuring that the baffle concavities 5 fit over thebaffles in the washing machine drum. The user then initiates the washcycle. The form fitting baffles 5 assist in moving the clothing duringthe cycle. The ventilation and drainage holes 1 allow for the water tobe properly drained and the air to be properly ventilated.

When the washing cycle is complete, the user again uses the internallyfacing handle 10 to remove the hamper from the washing machine andtransfer the hamper into the clothes dryer. When the drying cycle iscomplete, the user again removes the hamper from the dryer by grabbingthe internally facing handle 10. After removal from the dryer, again theuser uses the side cut out handles 2 for transporting the hamper to thelocation where the owner dresses.

FIG. 2 Alternative Embodiment

An additional embodiment is shown in FIG. 2 and its correspondingsuffixes. In the embodiment the concavities are in the form of agitator4.

Advantages

From the description above, a number of advantages of some embodimentsof my hamper become evident:

-   -   a. There is no need to remove the soiled clothing from the        laundry hamper into another bin for transport to the laundry        vicinity. The soiled clothing is easily transported to the        laundry vicinity by use of the cutout handles.    -   b. Since the clothes are sorted when the user initially places        them in the indicated hampers, there is no need for removing the        items for grouping prior to the washing and drying cycles    -   c. The user does not need to estimate when there is a full load.        When the soiled clothing reaches the capacity indicator, the        user knows the hamper has reached the washing and drying        capacity.    -   d. The user does not have to serially pull the damp clothing        from the washer. By lifting the hamper in its entirety all of        the clothing is removed in a single instance.    -   e. Small articles, such as socks, and pocket items, such as        coins, are not mistakenly left in the bottom of the washer or        dryer drum and separated from matching clothing.    -   f. Washed clothing does not fall on the floor or between the        washer and dryer during its transfer from washer to dryer.    -   g. After the drying cycle, the clothing does not need to be        resorted and grouped according to the owner of the clothing. The        hamper contains all of the owner's clothes, including the        matching socks, and all of the owners pocket items.    -   h. Clothing does not need to be transferred into another bin for        transport back to the owner's dressing area.

CONCLUSION, RAMIFICATIONS AND SCOPE

Accordingly, the reader will see that hampers of the various embodimentscan be used for the temporary storage of soiled clothing as well as forthe transportation of said clothing to the washer, the transfer to thedryer, and the transport to the owner's dressing area. Furthermore, thisembodiment of a hamper has additional advantages in that

-   -   there is no need to remove the clothing from the hamper for        transport to washer and dryer;    -   there is no need to resort the clothing since have enough        clothes to constitute a full load;    -   clean clothing will not fall during the transfer from the washer        to the dryer;    -   small article, such as socks or pocket items, are not separated        from each other or from the owners other items;    -   clean clothing does not need to be resorted into owner specific        groupings;    -   clothing does not need to be transported into another container        or laundry basket for transport to the users dressing area.

Although the description above contains much specificity, these shouldnot be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiment but as merelyproviding illustrations of some of the preferred embodiments. Forexample, our hamper could have multiple shapes to fit the outline ofdifferent washer agitators and dryer baffles. The opening forventilation could be in any shape that facilitates the passage air andliquids. The internally facing top lip could be a plurality of inwardlyfacing handles. The side cut out handles could be a plurality of shapes.

Thus the scope of the embodiment should be determined by the appendedclaims and their legal equivalents, rather than by the examples given.

1. In a laundry hamper of the type for the temporary storage andtransport of clothing during the laundry process wherein said hampercomprising: a. a cylindrical body having a closed circular base, sidewalls extending upward from said base, forming an open top defined by anupper rim. b. the improvement wherein said side walls have a pluralityof internally facing longitudinal concavities originating in the baseand extending toward said open top in the form of a laundry machine drumhaving a predetermined shape whereby said cylindrical body and saidconcavities provide a means for insertion into said laundry machinedrum.
 2. The hamper of claim 1 further including a plurality ofinternally facing handles that wrap the circumference of the said upperrim.
 3. The hamper of 1 wherein said concavities are substantially inthe form of triangular wedges wherein said wedges extend longitudinallyfrom said base, up said side walls wherein said wedge has a base in saidside wall and an opposing peak recessed within said cylinder body. 4.The hamper of claim 1 wherein said cylindrical body is composed of aheat resistant material.
 5. The hamper of claim 1 wherein said hampercontains an indication of clothing type.
 6. The hamper of claim 1wherein said walls have a plurality of cutout handles.
 7. The hamper ofclaim 1 wherein said cylindrical body contains a plurality of aperturesproviding a means for ventilation and drainage.
 8. The hamper of claim 1further including an indication of maximum laundry process capacity. 9.A laundry hamper of the type for the temporary storage and transport ofclothing during the laundry process wherein said hamper comprises acylindrical body comprising a closed circular bottom surface, side wallsextending upward from said circular bottom surface and forming an opentop defined by an upper rim that wraps the circumference of saidcylinder wherein said upper rim has a plurality of internally facinghandles whereby said cylindrical body and said handles provide a meansfor insertion into a laundry machine.
 10. The hamper of claim 9 furtherincluding a plurality of inwardly facing longitudinal concavitiesoriginating in said base and extending longitudinally toward said upperrim in the form of a laundry machine drum having predetermined shapes.11. The hamper of 10 further wherein said concavity is substantially inthe form of triangular wedges wherein said triangle originates in saidbase and extends longitudinally up said wall wherein said triangle hasan triangle peak recessed within said body.
 12. The hamper of claim 9wherein said cylindrical body is composed of heat resistant substance.13. The hamper of claim 9 wherein said hamper contains an indication ofclothing type.
 14. The hamper of claim 9 wherein said side walls have aplurality of cutout handles.
 15. The hamper of claim 9 further includingan indication of maximum laundry process capacity.
 16. The hamper ofclaim 9 wherein said cylindrical body contains a plurality of aperturesproviding a means for ventilation and drainage.
 17. A method fortransporting and transferring clothing during the conventional consumerand commercial laundry process comprising: a. providing a hamper of thetype comprising a cylindrical body, a closed circular base, side wallsextending upward from said circular bottom surface and forming an opentop defined by an upper rim and a single or plurality of internallyfacing longitudinal concavities originating in the base and extendingupward in the form of laundry machine drums having predetermined shapesand wherein said rim has a plurality of inwardly facing handle, andwherein said side wall has plurality of cut out handles, and whereinsaid hamper contain a plurality of apertures providing a means forventilation and drainage, b. providing clothing and inserting saidclothing in said hamper, c. lifting said hamper by grabbing said cut outhandle and transporting said hamper to said laundry machine, d. grabbingsaid internally facing handles and inserting said hamper into saidlaundry machine, e. grabbing said internally facing handles and removingsaid hamper, f. grabbing said cutout handles and transporting clothingto preferred destination, whereby said cylindrical body and saidconcavities provide a form consistent with the predetermined form ofsaid laundry machine drum.
 18. The method of claim 17 wherein saidlaundry hamper contains an indication of maximum laundry processcapacity.